With the Pune commissioner Mahesh Zagade finding his own backyard flooded during the Pune deluge that hit the city on the night of September 29 and October 4 and claimed lives, the message must have finally reached the corridors of power that something should be done to ensure that streets are not flooded.
Blocked nalas and encroachments on them result in flooding of roads and housing societies during monsoon. It is worth noting here how nature’s bounty in the form of good rainfall can cause deaths because of man-made obstructions.
Even though Zagade has been working hard to be given the powers to act against builders who have changed, reduced the width and encroached nalas, corporators have not given him the teeth to do so. On his part, Zagade has been using his powers to pull up officers who have failed to fulfil the responsibilities delegated to them regarding nala obstruction.
A socially awakened and progressive city, with its active NGOs and proactive citizens, has saved Pune from being consumed by the selfish greed of politicians. Now it is worth watching whether the responsible people in power are able to withstand the storm of corporators and builder lobby’s power to ensure that nalas are widened and encroachments are removed, or wait for another deluge to hit the city in future.
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